I have a real treat for you today, three wonderful travel stories, all from newcomers to our travel writing competitions. Read their bios below and then follow the links to enjoy their stories. Thank you so much Ria, Jesus and Ben for getting involved.​

Ria Chakraborty

I am a student from Delhi, India with a penchant for reading fiction and poetry books. I have been publishing my works online on various platforms. I received a prize from National Museum of Natural History, Delhi for a poem on conservation of flora and fauna. An essay written by me has been published in an online magazine, i-mantra. A Canadian magazine has also featured my poetry.

I am Jesus C. Deytiquez or Jessie for short. I grew up and lived almost all the days of my life in a rustic town in the Philippines. I, with my meager means, cannot travel that much and the only other country I ever visited is Hong Kong. But a man's soul searches for its expansion--a way of transcending oneself or ecstasy--like how a bird longs to fly or to sing its heart out. Therefore, since I cannot travel that much, I meet beauty and wonders through nature and literature. I already earned my Bachelor's degree in Political Science, and could have listened to my parents' suggestion for me to study for a law degree, but, because of my remembrance of my first love (literature and nature), I am now planning to pursue a Master's degree in Literature or Creative Writing. Currently, I am still looking for a scholarship to study abroad which is part of my plan or even need to become like my favorite authors who inspired me and provided for me worlds, companions in loneliness or solitude, and endless goodness (Novalis, George MacDonald, Jane Austen, Fyodor Dostoevsky, G.K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, etc.).

Read Jesus's story The Cold and Rainy Mountain City of Nostalgia here.

Ben Stamp was born and raised in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Insects with stingers cause him to make childish noises. When he is not travelling, he lives in Catalonia.